Help Needed: Installing Autopower cage into a '78 924

[kdjones2000]

Greetings all,

We have an Autopower boit-in cage that came used from a 944 Spec racer, and we are trying to install this into our '78 924. From what I have read there is little to no difference between the bodies of the two cars.

Well, we have the cage in the car but not yet bolted down, and have a question before we actually secure it. Everything fits as expected into the car, but for the backstays off the main hoop. In the Autopower cage these backstays secure down to the wheel well humps.

If we move the cage all of the way forward in the car to allow for easiest in/out for the driver, the backstays are an inch or more away from the wheel well humps. We can slide the backstays down the internal tube that is attached to the main hoop, but there is no hole to secure them to, and we are concerned that if we simply drilled holes and secured them that this would fail tech inspection.

We can move the cage back to the point that the backstays can be bolted to the wheel well humps, but then the main hoop is a bit behind the B-pillar of the car. This also would make ingress/egress more difficult.

Has anyone else tried to use an AP bolt-in cage in a 924 ('78)? What are your experiences?

I guess that we could fab up some longer backstays, but I wanted to check with others who may have encountered this problem before, prior to doing anything.

Cheers, Keith

[962porsche]

a big part of my business is building cages . 1st i would need to know what class you are thinking of running in ? any wheel to wheel racing will make you weld in the cage . this making it point less to drill a extra hole for a bolt . all the 944 spec cages we build the main hoop is set behind the B-pillers . we can weld them to the piller with a 2"x12"x1/8" plate . we also punch 1 1/4 " holes in the plate . if your going to just do time attacks with the car . it should pass tech ? you can buy extra tubing from AP its cheap and they should get it to you in no time . i'm would change the rear pickup points on the cage any way . i'm not a big fan of cages that go to the inner wheel houses . i would go to the frame rails next to the fuel tank .

[kdjones2000]

The plan right now is to get the car to pass LeMons/Chumpcar tech. Eventually we are planning on running it in NASA 944 Spec class. If you look at the NASA/SCCA CCR's, while a weld in cage is preferred, bolt-ins are also allowed. I agree that a custom, weld in cage is the better solution, but it's not in our budget at this time.

In fact, most of the 944 Spec guys I've checked with around here are using the AP bolt-in cage.

About the best suggestion that I have found so far is to put the cage as far back as it will go, and then fab up some longer side rails to extend it as far as possible. Since we have to add a second driver's side door rail to it anyway, this should not be that big of an issue.

There must be some other 944 Spec guys on here who have suggestions?

Cheers, Keith

[dangerous]

Mine bolts to the wheel well too but I'd like to modify it to run back to the frame rails. Extending the side bars to push the front mounts as far forward as possible is a good move. AP cages are okay but there's certainly room for improvement in terms of fitting.